The trend of going back to nature has increased the demand for fresh, organic or minimally processed foods. Promoted as a healthy lifestyle, people eat more fresh fruit and vegetables and in greater variety. Unfortunately, this heightens the risk of bacterial infection and food poisoning, as raw foods are often contaminated with bacteria that would otherwise be killed during cooking or processing. Salmonella, a pathogen found in various foodstuffs including chocolate and dry ingredients, is one of the major new concerns in food safety. Salmonella is a genus comprising of over 2,500 types of bacteria, which are responsible for two major diseases in humans, namely gastroenteritis and typhoid fever. In an outbreak in South Africa in 1899, the latter had been known to cause higher mortality in British troops than the conflict itself.
展开▼
